Pre-Pandemic Social Isolation: Protection or Vulnerability in the Time of COVID?

Abstract How do older adults at risk of social isolation before the pandemic fare during the COVID-19 outbreak? Using data from two waves (Round 9 [2019] and COVID-19 Supplement) of the National Health and Aging Trend Study (NHATS), we examined the relationship between pre-pandemic social isolation and psychological distress during the outbreak among community-living older adults (age 65+). Results show that the most socially integrated respondents had more PTSD (β=1.47, SE=.37, p<.001) and depression/anxiety (β=.34, SE=.11, p=.002) symptoms than the most isolated. Older adults who were not homebound had more PTSD (β=2.0, SE= .76, p=.01) and depression/anxiety (β=1.05, SE=.20, p<.001) than the completely homebound. With shelter-in-place and social distancing requirements, older adults who have been socially active and integrated may experience high-stress levels and may need extra support to adjust to the changes. Relatively, those who have been very isolated and homebound may experience fewer changes in their lives.


PHYSICAL ISOLATION AND MENTAL HEALTH AMONG OLDER U.S. ADULTS IN THE COVID-19 COPING STUDY
Carly Joseph, 1 Brendan O'Shea, 2 Jessica Finlay, 2 and Lindsay Kobayashi, 2 1. University of Michigan,Central Michigan University,Ann Arbor,Michigan,United States,2

. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has set an urgent need to understand the impact of physical isolation on mental health. We aimed to investigate the relationships between physical isolation during the period when many US states had shelter-in-place orders (April-May 2020) and subsequent longitudinal trajectories of mental health in middleaged and older adults (aged 55+, N=3,978) over a six-month follow-up (April to October 2020). We used population and attrition-weighted multivariable linear mixed-effects models. At baseline, 7 days/week of physical isolation (vs. 0 days/ week) was associated with elevated depressive symptoms (β=0.82; 95% CI: 0.04-1.60), and all of 1-3, 4-6, and 7 days/ week of physical isolation (vs. 0 days/week) were associated with elevated anxiety symptoms and loneliness. Physical isolation was not associated with changes in mental health symptoms over time. These findings highlight the need to prioritize opportunities for in-person connection for middleaged and older adults when safe to do so.

PRE-PANDEMIC SOCIAL ISOLATION: PROTECTION OR VULNERABILITY IN THE TIME OF COVID?
Lydia Li, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States How do older adults at risk of social isolation before the pandemic fare during the COVID-19 outbreak? Using data from two waves (Round 9 [2019] and COVID-19 Supplement) of the National Health and Aging Trend Study (NHATS), we examined the relationship between pre-pandemic social isolation and psychological distress during the outbreak among community-living older adults (age 65+). Results show that the most socially integrated respondents had more PTSD (β=1.47, SE=.37, p<.001) and depression/anxiety (β=.34, SE=.11, p=.002) symptoms than the most isolated. Older adults who were not homebound had more PTSD (β=2.0, SE= .76, p=.01) and depression/anxiety (β=1.05, SE=.20, p<.001) than the completely homebound. With shelter-in-place and social distancing requirements, older adults who have been socially active and integrated may experience high-stress levels and may need extra support to adjust to the changes. Relatively, those who have been very isolated and homebound may experience fewer changes in their lives.

EXPERIENCE DESIGN STUDIO FOR SOCIAL CONNECTION OF OLDER ADULTS G. Mauricio Mejía, Cheryl Der Ananian, and Brad Doebbeling, Arizona State University, Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Social isolation and loneliness are pressing health concerns in older adults, likely exacerbated by social distancing guidelines enacted during COVID-19. Creating effective interventions to address health issues is challenging. Design is an alternative approach to create innovative interventions and to test their preliminary potential. In the present case study, we describe the processes and outcomes of a four-week project in a graduate design studio. Students were asked to develop a prototype for an intervention using digital technologies to increase social connectedness among older adults. This was an interdisciplinary process guided by faculty with expertise in design (Mejía), healthcare redesign (Doebbeling), and gerontology (Der Ananian). In the first week, the faculty helped the students understand the design goals, the implications of social isolation and loneliness, and technology use in older adults. In the second week, students conducted user interviews. In the third week, students set the problem by defining a specific potential audience and context. They also prototyped two preliminary concepts using storyboards and received feedback from the faculty. In the last week, students presented refined prototypes with storyboards, user Innovation in Aging, 2021, Vol. 5, No. S1

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GSA 2021 Annual Scientific Meeting